Local & Regional

7:10 am

Fri April 26, 2013

Oklahoma Corrections Funding Debated

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Despite the governor's recent accusations that the Department of Corrections was hiding $22 million in "undisclosed" revolving funds, documents show DOC officials have repeatedly given notice of the accounts.

Gov. Mary Fallin sent a terse letter questioning the agency's accounting practices after DOC Director Justin Jones suddenly cancelled a request for $6.4 million in emergency funding. Jones had been requesting extra money for months, saying the department had reached the end of its resources.

But state agencies provide explicit explanations and descriptions of their funding — including revolving funds — each year to the governor as she prepares a budget framework. DOC emails also show the funds were clearly laid out in responses to email requests from the Oklahoma House's deputy fiscal director and other officials.